Chromeless Phase Shift Mask Structure And Process

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides a phase shift mask. The phase shift mask includes a transparent substrate; an etch stop layer disposed on the substrate; and a tunable transparent material layer disposed on the etch stop layer and patterned to have an opening, wherein the tunable transparent material layer is designed to provide phase shift and has a transmittance greater than  90 %.

PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application62/379,547, entitled “CHROMELESS PHASE SHIFT MASK STRUCTURE ANDPROCESS,” filed Aug. 25, 2016, herein incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

In semiconductor technologies, critical-dimension (CD) variations can beinduced by optical interference and other effects. As a result, a maskerror factor (MEF) will become too high and unacceptable for smallerfeature sizes in sub-wavelength patterning, especially for contactholes. Various techniques have been implemented to improve MEF,including using a phase shift mask (PSM), such as chromeless phase shiftmask, to define circuit patterns. In a chromeless phase shift mask, acircuit feature is defined in a transparent mask with phase shiftbetween adjacent transparent regions such that destructive interferencegenerates a dark feature when imaged to a semiconductor substrate.However, a conventional chromeless phase shift mask provides limitedfreedom to improve imaging quality and other issues, such as etchprocessing window relative to an expected phase shift. Furthermore, theconventional chromeless phase shift mask has limited protection to thetransparent substrate from damage during a process making or using themask. Therefore, what are needed are a chromeless phase shift maskstructure and a method making and using the same to address the aboveissues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isemphasized that, in accordance with the standard practice in theindustry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, thedimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased orreduced for clarity of discussion.

FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views of a photomask at variousfabrication stages, constructed in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the photomask in FIG. 4, constructed inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a photomask, constructed in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the photomask in FIG. 6, constructed inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method making a photomask, constructed inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a photomask, constructed in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a lithography system, constructed inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method utilizing a photomask in thelithography system of FIG. 10, constructed in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 12 represents characteristic data of the photomask utilized in thelithography system of FIG. 10, constructed in accordance with someembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that the following disclosure provides manydifferent embodiments, or examples, for implementing different featuresof various embodiments. Specific examples of components and arrangementsare described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, ofcourse, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. Inaddition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

FIGS. 1 through 4 are sectional views of a photomask (mask, or reticle,collectively referred to as mask) 100 constructed according to aspectsof the present disclosure in some embodiments. FIG. 5 is a top view ofthe mask 100 in FIG. 4 in accordance with some embodiments. Referring toFIGS. 1 through 5, the mask 100 and a method making the same aredescribed. The mask 100 defines a circuit pattern thereon and is used totransfer the circuit pattern to a semiconductor substrate in alithography process using a radiation beam, such as light radiation. Theradiation beam may be ultraviolet and/or can be extended to includeother radiation beams such as ion beam, x-ray, extreme ultraviolet(EUV), deep ultraviolet (DUV), and other proper radiation energy. In thefollowing description, the light radiation is used in various examples.The mask 100 is a phase shift mask, particularly a chromeless phaseshift mask (CLPSM). Various features on a CLPSM are transparent to thelight radiation and are imaged to dark and bright features on thesemiconductor substrate through 180° phase shift and correspondingdestructive interference. The mask 100 is a CLPSM that defines a featurethrough phase shift instead of absorption. The mask 100 includesdifferent regions with respective optical phase. The light radiationthrough different regions of the mask 100 leads to destructiveinterference and form dark features on the semiconductor substrate.However, the disclosed mask 100 utilizes limited absorption through aphase shift layer or additional attenuating layer to enhance the imagequality including resolution and contrast.

Referring to FIG. 1, the mask 100 may be a portion of a mask utilized inmanufacturing a semiconductor wafer. The mask 100 includes a transparentsubstrate 110 (that is transparent to the light radiation), such asfused quartz or fused silica (SiO₂) relatively free of defects, calciumfluoride, or other suitable material.

The mask 100 includes an etch stop layer 120 disposed on the transparentsubstrate 110. The etch stop layer 120 is designed to protect thetransparent substrate 110 from damage during a process making or usingthe mask 100. For example, the etch stop layer 120 is designed with acomposition and a thickness to effectively resist an etching or cleaningprocess applied to the mask 100. The etch stop layer 120 is disposed onthe transparent substrate 110 and is not patterned so that itcontinuously covers a top surface of the transparent substrate 110, asillustrated in FIG. 1.

In one embodiment, the etch stop layer 120 is a ruthenium (Ru) film. Inanother embodiment, the etch stop layer 120 is a chromium oxynitridefilm. In some other embodiments, the etch stop layer 120 includesruthenium, chromium, aluminum, tungsten, silicon, titanium, an oxidethereof, a nitride thereof, an oxynitride thereof, or a combinationthereof. The formation of the etch stop layer 120 may include chemicalvapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), atomic layerdeposition (ALD), spin coating, other suitable processes, or acombination thereof. The etch stop layer 120 has a thickness rangingfrom 0.1 nm to 100 nm in accordance with some embodiments. In someexamples, the etch stop layer 120 may have a thickness ranging from 1 nmto 20 nm.

In some other embodiments, the etch stop layer 120 is designed toprovide a limited attenuation to the light radiation. The attenuation ofthe etch stop layer 120 is tuned to enhance the imaging of the mask 100during a lithography exposure process. In the present embodiment, theetch stop layer 120 is designed with a composition and a thickness tohave a transmittance greater than 98% to the radiation beam. The etchstop layer 120 is doped with a proper doping species to tune itstransmittance and etching resistance. In some embodiments, in additionto the main composition described as above, the etch stop layer 120 isfurther doped with a doping species, such as boron (B), phosphorous (P),calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), aluminum (Al), or a combination thereof. Forexample, the etch stop layer 120 having ruthenium oxide as the maincomposition is further doped with calcium. In another example, the etchstop layer 120 having tungsten nitride is doped with sodium. In yetanother example, the etch stop layer 120 having titanium nitride isdoped with boron. The doping process may include ion implantation orin-situ doping, such as a CVD process with the precursor that includes achemical having the doping species. In various embodiments, the maincomposition in the etch stop layer 120 has an atomic percentage rangingfrom 80% to 100%. Accordingly, the doping species in the etch stop layer120 has an atomic percentage ranging from 0 to 20%.

The mask 100 includes a transparent material layer 130 disposed on theetch stop layer 120 and is to be patterned according to a circuit designlayout. The transparent material layer 130 is designed with acomposition and a thickness to provide an 180° phase shift to theradiation beam. More specifically, the transparent material layer 130may have a thickness about λ/[2(n−1)], wherein λ is the wavelength ofthe radiation beam projected on the mask 100 during the photolithographyprocess, and n is refractive index of the transparent material layer 130relative to the radiation beam. Alternatively, the transparent materiallayer 130 may have a thickness about mλ/[2(n−1)], wherein m is an oddinteger. In practice, the phase shift is substantially 180° or, in otherwords, around 180° in a certain range, such as 170° to 190°.

Particularly, the transparent material layer 130 is substantiallytransparent to the radiation beam and has a limited absorption to theradiation beam. The limited absorption of the transparent material layer130 is tunable through its composition in a way to enhance the imagingresolution during a lithography exposure process utilizing the mask 100.Therefore, it is also referred to as tunable transparent material layer130. In the present embodiment, the tunable transparent material layer130 has a transmittance greater than 90% to the radiation beam. Infurtherance of the embodiment, the transmittance is tuned in a rangefrom 90% to 99%.

In some embodiments, the tunable transparent material layer 130 includessilicon oxide doped with carbon or other dopant. The concentration ofcarbon (or other dopant) can be varied to adjust the transmittance ofthe tunable transparent material layer 130. In furtherance of theembodiments, both the silicon concentration and the carbon concentrationcan be varied to adjust the transmittance. In accordance with someexamples, the tunable transparent material layer 130 includes siliconwith an atomic percentage ranging from 30% to 60%; oxygen with an atomicpercentage ranging from 30% to 60%; and carbon with an atomic percentageranging from 0 to 10%. The tunable transparent material layer 130 mayfurther include an additive, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P),boron (B), or a combination thereof, incorporated therein by ionimplantation, in-situ doping or other suitable technique. In someexamples, the tunable transparent material layer 130 includes siliconwith an atomic percentage ranging from 30% to 60%; oxygen with an atomicpercentage ranging from 30% to 60%; carbon with an atomic percentageranging from 0 to 10%; nitrogen with an atomic percentage ranging from 0to 5%; phosphorous with an atomic percentage ranging from 0 to 5%; andboron with an atomic percentage ranging from 0 to 5% tuned to haveproper transmittance, and accordingly the desired imaging resolution. Inother embodiments, the tunable transparent material layer 130, asdescribed as above, may be formed by spin-on glass, CVD or sputtering.

In some embodiments, the tunable transparent material layer 130 includessilicate glass dispersed with chromophore. The concentration ofchromophore can be varied to adjust the transmittance of the tunabletransparent material layer 130. In some examples, the tunabletransparent material layer 130 is formed by spin-on coating and then anannealing process (with an annealing temperature, such as between 130°C. and 150° C.) to cure. In some examples, the tunable transparentmaterial layer 130 is formed by CVD using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)with the formula Si(OC₂H₅)₄ or other suitable technique.

In some embodiments, the tunable transparent material layer 130 includesa sol-gel silicate film, formed by a sol-gel process. In some examples,the tunable transparent material layer 130 includes silica gels by asol-gel polymerization of a proper precursor, such as TEOS, or othersuitable chemical. During the sol-gel process, an acid or base catalystmay be used. In some embodiments, the formation of the sol-gel silicatefilm may include polymerization of TEOS in solution, and sol-geltransition with a catalyst. In some embodiments, the formation of thesol-gel silicate film may include polymerization, hydrolysis andcondensation. The sol-gel silicate film is tunable through variousparameters to adjust the corresponding transmittance. Various steps andparameters in the process to form the sol-gel silicate film may bevaried to adjust the transmittance of the corresponding tunabletransparent material layer. For example, the polymerization time may beused to tune the transmittance.

The tunable transparent material layer 130 is patterned according to acircuit design layout. The patterning of the tunable transparentmaterial layer includes lithography process and etching. The lithographyprocess includes coating (such as by spin-on coating) a resist layer 140on the tunable transparent material layer 130, as illustrated in FIG. 1.In some embodiments, the resist layer 140 may have a tri-layerstructure, such as an under layer, a middle layer on the under layer anda photo sensitive layer on the middle layer. In some embodiments, theresist layer 140 may be chemical amplification resist material thatincludes photo-acid generator. In some embodiments, the resist layer 140may be positive-tone (wherein the exposed portions will be removed by adeveloper) or alternatively negative-tone (wherein the unexposedportions will be removed by a developer).

The lithography process further includes exposure and developing,thereby forming a patterned resist layer 140, as illustrated in FIG. 2.The patterned resist layer 140 includes one or more opening 140 a suchthat the tunable transparent material layer 130 is exposed within theopening. The lithography process may further include other steps, suchas post-exposure-baking.

An etching process is further applied to the tunable transparentmaterial layer 130 through the opening 140 a of the patterned resistlayer 140, using the patterned resist layer as an etch mask. By theetching process, the tunable transparent material layer 130 ispatterned. Particularly, the pattern defined in the resist layer 140 istransferred to the tunable transparent material layer 130, asillustrated in FIG. 3. For example, an opening 130 a is formed in thetunable transparent material layer 130 after the etching process. Theetching process applied to the tunable transparent material layer 130may include dry etching, wet etching or a combination thereof. Forexample, the etching process may include a wet etching process usinghydroflouric acid as an etchant. In another example, the etching processmay include a dry etching process using fluorine-containing plasma as anetchant.

After the etching process, the patterned resist layer 140 is removed bywet stripping or plasma ashing, as illustrated in FIG. 4. Alternatively,a hard mask may be used such that pattern is transferred from thepatterned resist layer to the hard mask by a first etch and thentransferred to the tunable transparent material layer by a second etch.Since the transparent substrate 110 is protected by the etch stop layer120, the above etching process and wet stripping (or plasma ashing) willnot damage the transparent substrate 110. Otherwise, the damagedsubstrate may introduce unexpected phase shift, which will degrade themask 100 and the imaging quality of the lithography exposure processusing the mask 100.

Thus formed mask 100 is a chromeless phase shift mask since a circuitfeature is defined through phase shift. Especially, in a binaryintensity mask, a circuit feature is defined through intensitydifference. In other words, a circuit feature in a first region and asecond region surrounding the circuit feature on the mask have differenttransmittances. One of the first and second regions is transparent, andanother one of the two regions is opaque. In other types of phase shiftmask, a circuit feature is similarly defined through substantialtransmittance difference (opaque and transparency) while phase shiftincrease the contrast and improves the imaging quality. In a chromelessphase shift mask, both the first and second regions are transparent. Inthe disclosed mask 100, the first and second regions are transparent orsubstantially transparent (transmittance greater than 90%). Asillustrated in FIG. 4, the mask 100 includes a first region 150 and asecond region 160. The first region 150 is defined in the opening 130 aof the tunable transparent material layer 130 and is free of the tunabletransparent material. The second region 160 is the region having thetunable transparent material. The first and second light beamstransmitted, respectively, through the first and second regions have aphase shift (substantially 180°). The destructive interference betweenthe first and second light beams generates a dark region correspondingto the opening 130 a.

In FIG. 5, a circuit feature is defined by the first region 150.Furthermore, the tunable transparent material layer 130 has a tunabletransmittance that is utilized to enhance the resolution of thelithography exposure process. The transmittance tuning is furtherdescribed in details. The first light beam B1 transmitted through thefirst region 150. The second light beam B2 transmitted through thesecond region 160 and a portion B2′ of the transmitted second light beamis diffracted to the first region 150. If B1 and B2′ are same inintensity, the destructive interference will cancel each other, lead todark image (zero intensity) of the opening 130 a. However, B1 and B2′may not be equal in intensity due to various factors, such as thedimension W of the opening 130 a. Therefore, tuning the transmittance ofthe tunable transparent material layer 130 in a way such that B1 and B2′are matched in intensity. Accordingly, the destructive interferencebetween B1 and B2′ generates a dark feature corresponding to the opening130 a with enhanced contrast and resolution. Tuning the transmittancemay be implemented, prior to depositing the transparent material layer130, according to the circuit design layout, such as average featuresize of the circuit design layout.

In the mask 100, the etch stop layer 120 is interposed between thetransparent substrate 110 and the tunable transparent material layer130. The etch stop layer 120 covers both the first region 150 and thesecond region 160, and continuously extends from the first region 150 tothe second region 160. The circuit feature is defined in an opening 130a of the tunable transparent material layer 130. In various examples,the circuit feature may be a metal line, a gate, or a fin-like activeregion.

In some embodiments, a circuit feature may be alternatively defined byan island of the tunable transparent material layer, such as oneillustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a mask 200and FIG. 7 is a top view of the mask 200, constructed in accordance withsome embodiments. A method to form the mask 200 is similar to thecorresponding method to form the mask 100. For example, the methodincludes forming an etch stop layer 120 on a transparent substrate 110;forming a tunable transparent material layer 130; and patterning thetunable transparent material layer 130 according to a circuit designlayout. The etch stop layer 120 and the tunable transparent materiallayer 130 are similar to those of the mask 100 in terms of formation,composition and phase shift. However, the tunable transparent materiallayer 130 is patterned such that a circuit feature of the circuit designlayout is defined by an island 130 b of the tunable transparent materiallayer 130. Especially, the mask 200 includes a first region 210 and asecond region 220. The first region 210 is defined in the island 130 bof the tunable transparent material layer 130. The second region 220 isfree of the tunable transparent material. The radiation beamstransmitted respectively through the first and second regions have aphase shift. A circuit feature is defined in the first region 210.Similar to the mask 100, the etch stop layer 120 is interposed betweenthe substrate 110 and the tunable transparent material layer 130.Furthermore, the etch stop layer 120 covers both the first region 210and the second region 220, and continuously extends from the firstregion 210 to the second region 220. In various examples, the circuitfeature may be a metal line, a gate, or a fin-like active region. Thethickness of the tunable transparent material layer 130 may be tuned forenhanced imaging effect of the circuit feature, which is defined by theisland 130 b of the tunable transparent material layer 130.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method 800 for making a chromeless phaseshift mask (such as the mask 100 or the mask 200), constructed inaccordance with some embodiments. The method 800 may begin at block 802by receiving a transparent substrate 110, such as fused quartz or othersuitable transparent substrate. The method 800 includes an operation 804by forming an etch stop layer 120 on the transparent substrate 110. Insome embodiments, the etch stop layer 120 includes ruthenium or chromiumoxynitride. In some embodiments, the etch stop layer 120 includesruthenium, tungsten, aluminum, silicon, titanium, oxide thereof, nitridethereof, oxynitride thereof, or a combination thereof. The etch stoplayer 120 may be formed by PVD, CVD, ALD or other suitable technique.

The method 800 includes an operation 806 by forming a tunabletransparent material layer 130 on the etch stop layer 120. In someembodiments, the tunable transparent material layer 130 includes siliconoxide doped with carbon. The concentration of carbon or additionally theconcentration of silicon can be varied to adjust the transmittance ofthe tunable transparent material layer 130. In some embodiments, thetunable transparent material layer 130 includes silicate glass dispersedwith chromophore. The concentration of chromophore can be varied toadjust the transmittance of the tunable transparent material layer 130.In various examples, the tunable transparent material layer 130 can beformed by spin-on coating, CVD, or other suitable technique. In someembodiments, the tunable transparent material layer 130 is a sol-gelsilicate film, formed by a sol-gel process. For example, the tunabletransparent material layer 130 includes silica gels by a sol-gelpolymerization of a proper precursor, such as tetraethylorthosilicate(TEOS) with the formula Si(OC₂H₅)₄, or other suitable chemical.

Especially, the transmittance is tuned in a way so to enhance theimaging contrast and resolution of the mask during a lithographyexposure process. In some embodiments, the method 800 further includesan operation 808 to collectively determine the composition and thicknessof the tunable transparent material layer 130 according to the desiredphase shift and transmittance, prior to the operation 806 for forming ofthe tunable transparent material layer 130. As noted above, thethickness is determined according to the desired phase shift (180°),such as using first formula mλ/[2(n−1)], while the composition isdetermined according to attenuation coefficient and thickness of thetransparent material layer 130 using second formula, such asBeer-Lambert law T=e^(−μl), in which T, μ and are the transmittance, theattenuation coefficient and the thickness of the tunable transparentmaterial layer, respectively. The attenuation coefficient μ may be firstdetermined according to the average feature size of the circuit designlayout or according to the engineer experience or manufacturing data.The composition and the thickness are collectively determined based onthe above formulas.

Thus, at the operation 806, the tunable transparent material layer 130with the determined composition is deposited on the etch stop layer 120to have the determined thickness.

The method 800 also includes an operation 810 by patterning the tunabletransparent material layer 130 according to the circuit design layout.The patterning process includes lithography process and etching.

The chromeless phase shift mask and the method making the same aredescribed above, in accordance with various embodiments. Otheralternatives and embodiments may present. For example, a chromelessphase shift mask may have a hybrid structure with a combination of themask 100 and the mask 200. In a hybrid mask, some circuit features aredefined by openings of the tunable transparent material layer 130 andsome other circuit features are defined by islands of the tunabletransparent material layer 130.

An exemplary circuit feature is provided above in the mask 100 or 200.Other features may present or additionally added. For example, one ormore dummy features may be added to improve imaging quality of the maskor enhance wafer fabrication. In some embodiments, optical proximitycorrection (OPC) features may be added for resolution enhancement. Oneexample is described below.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a chromeless phase shift mask 900,constructed in accordance with some embodiments. In the mask 900, thetunable transparent material layer 130 is patterned to form variouscircuit features 910 and 920. The circuit features 910 and 920 aredefined in islands of the tunable transparent material layer 130.Furthermore, an OPC feature 130 b is added to the mask 900. In thiscase, the OPC feature 130 b is formed in the circuit feature 910. TheOPC feature 130 b is a sub-resolution feature with a dimension under theresolution of the lithography exposure process. Therefore, the OPCfeature 130 b will not be imaged during the lithography exposure processutilizing the mask 900 but the radiation intensity is changed by the OPCfeature. Thus, the pattern of the first circuit feature 910 will beimage to one dark feature during the lithography exposure process.Similarly, the circuit feature 920 also includes a sub-resolutionfeature 130 c with same mechanism for resolution enhancement.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a lithography system 1000 constructed inaccordance with some embodiments. The lithography system 1000 and thedisclosed chromeless phase shift mask are used to perform a lithographyexposure process to a semiconductor wafer. The lithography system 1000includes a radiation source 1010 to provide radiation beam. Theradiation source 1010 may be any suitable light source. In variousembodiments, the radiation source may include ultraviolet (UV) source,deep UV (DUV) source, or other suitable radiation source. For example,the radiation source 1010 may be a mercury lamp having a wavelength of436 nm (G-line) or 365 nm (I-line); or a Krypton Fluoride (KrF) excimerlaser with wavelength of 248 nm; an Argon Fluoride (ArF) excimer laserwith a wavelength of 193 nm; a Fluoride (F₂) excimer laser with awavelength of 157 nm; or other light sources having a desiredwavelength, such as 13.5 nm.

The lithography system 1000 also includes an optical subsystem thatreceives the radiation beam from the radiation source 1010, modulatesthe radiation beam by a mask 1020 and directs the radiation energy to aphotoresist layer coated on a semiconductor substrate 1030. In someembodiments, the optical subsystem is designed to have a refractivemechanism. In this situation, the optical subsystem includes variousrefractive components, such as lenses.

In some particular embodiments, the lithography system 1000 includes anillumination module (e.g., a condenser) 1040. The illumination module1040 includes a single lens or a lens module having multiple lensesand/or other lens components. For example, the illumination module 1040may include microlens arrays, shadow masks, and/or other structuresdesigned to aid in directing radiation beam from the radiation source1010 onto the mask 1020.

The mask 1020 is a chromeless phase shift mask made by the method 800,such as the mask 100, the mask 200, or the mask 900. The mask 1030 isloaded in the lithography system 1000 and secured on a mask stage 1050of the lithography system 1000. The mask stage 1050 may be designed andconfigured to be operable for translational and rotational motions.

The lithography system 1000 includes a projection module 1060. Theprojection module 1060 includes a single lens element or a plurality oflens elements configured to provide proper illumination to thephotoresist layer coated on the semiconductor substrate 1030. Theillumination module 1040 and the projection module 1060 are collectivelyreferred to as an imaging module (or imaging optics). The imaging lensmay further include additional components such as an entrance pupil andan exit pupil configured to image the mask 1020 onto the semiconductorsubstrate 1030.

The lithography system 1000 may further include a substrate stage 1070that is capable of securing and moving the semiconductor substrate 1030in translational and rotational modes so that the semiconductorsubstrate 1030 can be aligned and scanned during a lithography exposureprocess.

The semiconductor substrate 1030 is secured by the substrate stage 1070in the lithography system 1000. A photoresist layer or otherradiation-sensitive layer is coated on the semiconductor substrate 1030.In some embodiments, the semiconductor substrate 1030 includes asemiconductor wafer having an elementary semiconductor such as crystalsilicon, polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, germanium, anddiamond, a compound semiconductor such as silicon carbide and galliumarsenic, an alloy semiconductor such as SiGe, GaAsP, AlInAs, AlGaAs, andGaInP, or a combination thereof.

The lithography system 1000 may be designed differently according todifferent characteristics of the radiation source and other factors. Insome embodiments where the radiation beam is EUV light, the opticalsubsystem is designed to have a reflective mechanism. In this situation,the optical subsystem includes various reflective components, such asmirrors. In one example, the radiation source 1010 includes a EUV sourcehaving a wavelength around 13.5 nm. Accordingly, the mask 1020 isdesigned as a reflective mask. In this case, the mask substrate 110includes a reflective multilayer.

A lithography exposure process is applied to the semiconductor substrate1030 in the lithography system 1000 utilizing the mask 1020. Since themask 1020 is a chromeless phase shift mask having the tunabletransparent material layer tuned for resolution enhancement, thephotoresist layer coated on the semiconductor substrate 1030 is exposedwith improved imaging quality. Furthermore, since the mask 1020 isprotected by the etch stop layer 120 when making and using the mask, thedamages to the mask 1020 are eliminated or substantially reduced.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method 1100 using a chromeless phase shiftmask 1020, constructed in accordance with some embodiments. The method1100 is described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. The method 1100 maybegin at block 1102 by receiving the chromeless phase shift mask 1020and securing the chromesless phase shift mask 1120 on a mask stage 1050of the lithography system 1000. The method 1100 includes a block 1104 byreceiving a semiconductor substrate 1030 and securing the semiconductorsubstrate 1030 on a substrate stage 1070. The method 1100 also includesan operation 1106 to perform a lithography exposure process to thesemiconductor substrate 1030 by the lithography system 1000. During thelithography exposure process, the photoresist layer coated on thesemiconductor substrate 1030 is exposed by the radiation beam, which ismodulated by the chromeless phase shift mask 1020. The method 1100 mayfurther include other operations. For example, the method 1100 includesan operation 1108 to develop the exposed photoresist layer, therebyforming a patterned photoresist layer. The method 1100 may furtherinclude other steps, such as post exposure baking prior to the operation1108. The method 1100 may also include an operation 1110 to perform anetching process to the semiconductor substrate 1030 using the patternedresist layer as an etch mask. In some embodiments, the operation 1110may alternatively include an ion implantation process applied to thesemiconductor substrate 1030 using the patterned resist layer as animplantation mask.

The present disclosure provides a chromeless phase shift mask, themethod making the same, and the method utilizing the same. Thechromeless phase shift mask includes an etch stop layer on a transparentsubstrate and a tunable transparent material layer on the etch stoplayer. The tunable transparent material layer is patterned according toa circuit design layout. Furthermore, the tunable transparent materiallayer is designed to have a tunable transmittance with a composition,such as silicon oxide doped with carbon, silicate glass dispersed withchromophore, or sol-gel silicate. The tunable transparent material layeris designed to provide freedom for transmittance tuning in a properrange, such as a range from 90% to 99%. The etch stop layer includesruthenium, chromium oxynitride, or other suitable material.

By implementing the disclosed chromeless phase shift mask in variousembodiments, some of advantages described below may present. However, itis understood that different embodiments disclosed herein offerdifferent advantages and that no particular advantage is necessarilyrequired in all embodiments. For example, the tunable transparentmaterial layer is designed to provide freedom for tuning thetransmittance and enhancing the resolution. The etch stop layer protectsthe mask from damage during a process making or using the mask. One ormore imaging parameter is improved using the disclosed chromeless phaseshift mask, such as illustrated in FIG. 12. In FIG. 12, the horizontalaxis represents pitch (nm) of a pattern defined on a chromeless phaseshift mask and the vertical axis represents best focus (μm) of the maskpattern when being imaged during a lithography process using thechromeless phase shift mask. The data 1210 are from one example of thedisclosed chromeless phase shift mask 1020 and the data 1212 are fromanother example of the disclosed chromeless phase shift mask 1020. Themasks respectively associated with the data 1210 and the data 1212 aresimilar with only different structural parameters, such as differentfilm thicknesses of the etch stop layer 120. Other two sets of data 1214and 1216 are from various examples of the existing chromeless phaseshift mask, which has no any etch stop layer. The data show that, forthe disclosed chromeless phase shift mask 1020, the best focus variationover pitch is reduced relative to the existing mask. The best focusvariation is defined as the difference between best focus maximum andminimum for the given mask in the given pitch range. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 12, the data 1210 shows that the disclosed exemplarychromeless phase shift mask 1020 has a best focus variation D_(BF1) andthe data 1216 shows that the existing exemplary chromeless phase shiftmask has a best focus variation D_(BF2), which is greater than D_(BF1).The disclosed mask has better performance that the existing mask in termof the best focus variation. Accordingly, the lithography patterningperformance is enhanced by utilizing the disclosed chromeless phaseshift mask 1020.

Thus, the present disclosure provides a phase shift mask in accordancewith some embodiments. The phase shift mask includes a transparentsubstrate; an etch stop layer disposed on the substrate; and a tunabletransparent material layer disposed on the etch stop layer and patternedto have an opening, wherein the tunable transparent material layer isdesigned to provide phase shift and has a transmittance greater than90%.

The present disclosure provides a chromeless phase shift mask (CLPSM),in accordance with some embodiments. The CLPSM includes a transparentsubstrate having a first region and a second region being adjacent thefirst region; a tunable transparent material layer disposed over thetransparent substrate and patterned to form a transparent feature withinthe first region and an opening within the second region; and an etchstop layer interposed between the tunable transparent material layer andthe transparent substrate, wherein the etch stop layer completely coversthe first region and the second region, and continuously extends fromthe first region to the second region.

The present disclosure also provides a method for integrated circuitfabrication in accordance with some embodiments. The method includesproviding a semiconductor substrate; and providing a mask that includesa transparent substrate; an etch stop layer disposed on the substrate;and a tunable transparent material layer disposed on the etch stop layerand patterned according to an integrated circuit pattern, wherein thetunable transparent material layer is designed to provide phase shiftand has a transmittance greater than 90%. The method further includesforming the integrated circuit pattern on the semiconductor substrate byutilizing the mask in a lithography process.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described indetail, those skilled in the art should understand that they may makevarious changes, substitutions and alterations herein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, allsuch changes, substitutions and alterations are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the followingclaims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to coverthe structures described herein as performing the recited function andnot only structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A phase shift mask (PSM), comprising: atransparent substrate; an etch stop layer disposed on the substrate; anda tunable transparent material layer disposed on the etch stop layer andpatterned to have an opening, wherein the etch stop layer completelycovers a portion of the transparent substrate within the opening and thetunable transparent material layer is designed to provide phase shift.2. The PSM of claim 1, wherein the tunable transparent material layer ispatterned to define a circuit feature to be imaged on a semiconductorsubstrate using a light radiation during a lithography process.
 3. ThePSM of claim 2, wherein the tunable transparent material layer isseparated from the transparent substrate by the etch stop layer; and thetunable transparent material layer is designed to provide atransmittance in a range from 90% to 99%.
 4. The PSM of claim 3, whereinthe tunable transparent material layer has a thickness such that thephase shift is substantially 180°.
 5. The PSM of claim 3, wherein thetransparent substrate includes fused quartz.
 6. The PSM of claim 3,wherein the tunable transparent material layer includes silicon oxidedoped with carbon.
 7. The PSM of claim 3, wherein the tunabletransparent material layer includes silicate glass dispersed withchromophore.
 8. The PSM of claim 3, wherein the tunable transparentmaterial layer is a sol-gel silicate film.
 9. The PSM of claim 1, theetch stop layer includes at least one of ruthenium and chromiumoxynitride.
 10. The PSM of claim 1, the etch stop layer includes onematerial selected from the group consisting of ruthenium, tungsten,aluminum, silicon, titanium, oxide thereof, nitride thereof, oxynitridethereof, and a combination thereof.
 11. The PSM of claim 1, wherein theopening of the tunable transparent material layer defines a circuitfeature of a circuit design layout.
 12. The PSM of claim 1, wherein thetunable transparent material layer is patterned to further include anisland that defines a circuit feature of a circuit design layout.
 13. Achromeless phase shift mask mask (CLPSM), comprising: a transparentsubstrate having a first region and a second region being adjacent thefirst region; a tunable transparent material layer disposed over thetransparent substrate and patterned to form a transparent feature withinthe first region and an opening within the second region; and an etchstop layer interposed between the tunable transparent material layer andthe transparent substrate, wherein the etch stop layer completely coversthe first region and the second region, and continuously extends fromthe first region to the second region.
 14. The CLPSM of claim 13,wherein one of the transparent feature and the opening defines a circuitfeature to be imaged on a semiconductor substrate using a lightradiation during a lithography process.
 15. The CLPSM of claim 13,wherein the transparent substrate includes fused quartz; the tunabletransparent material layer includes a material selected from the groupconsisting of silicon oxide doped with carbon, silicate glass dispersedwith chromophore and sol-gel silicate; and the etch stop layer includesruthenium.
 16. The CLPSM of claim 13, wherein the etch stop layerincludes one material selected from the group consisting of tungsten,aluminum, silicon, titanium, oxide thereof, nitride thereof, oxynitridethereof, and a combination thereof.
 17. The CLPSM of claim 16, whereinthe tunable transparent material layer is designed with a thickness andcomposition to provide a phase difference of about 180° between a firstbeam of the light radiation transmitted through the CMPSM within thefirst region and a second beam of the light radiation transmittedthrough the CMPSM within the second region during a lithography process.18. The CLPSM of claim 17, wherein the etch stop layer is designed witha composition and a thickness so that a corresponding transmittance isgreater than 95% to the light radiation.
 19. The CLPSM of claim 16,wherein the etch stop layer completely separates the tunable transparentmaterial layer from the transparent substrate.
 20. A method forintegrated circuit fabrication, comprising: providing a semiconductorsubstrate; providing a mask that includes a transparent substrate; anetch stop layer disposed on the transparent substrate; and a tunabletransparent material layer disposed on the etch stop layer and patternedaccording to an integrated circuit pattern, wherein the tunabletransparent material layer is designed to provide phase shift and has atransmittance greater than 90%; and forming the integrated circuitpattern on the semiconductor substrate by utilizing the mask in alithography process.